Virtual Workshop Series for New English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Teachers

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) invites teachers to participate in a series of virtual workshops on topics related to serving English learners and managing an English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program. While the sessions will be targeted to the needs of new ESOL teachers, all are welcome! More experienced ESOL teachers and others whose work relates to the topics listed will also find information of value and benefit from connecting with colleagues across Maine.

See the list of sessions below for dates and topics of focus each month. Each session will be held from 3:00-4:00pm. Participants should plan to attend all sessions in the series, to the extent possible. Contact hours will be available for participation in the sessions. Ideally participants, as a cohort of learners, will develop and sustain a professional connection beyond the monthly sessions.

Note that this series of workshops for new teachers will touch upon the 2020 Edition of the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework, but for those who are looking for in-depth work on the ELD Standards, please take advantage of the other professional learning opportunities centered around that topic.

The workshops will be facilitated by Robin Fleck, Maine DOE ESOL Consultant, and will feature guest speakers during some sessions. If you have any questions, contact Robin at robin.fleck@maine.gov.

Register HERE to receive the Zoom links.

	Date	Topics
Session 1	Monday, September 13, 2021	identifying English learners reviewing state expectations identifying available resources working with classroom/content teachers getting to know your students and families working with newcomers
Session 2	Thursday, October 7, 2021	how to effectively use the LAC meeting/ILAP, how to manage parent conferences/communications strategies for monitoring progress in and outside your classroom and ordering ACCESS materials
Session 3	Monday, November 15, 2021	ACCESS testing and strategies to help prepare students to be comfortable during testing
Session 4	Thursday, January 13, 2022	ACCESS testing and responding to the needs of the group, with a focus on strategies and culturally responsive teaching
Session 5	Thursday, February 17, 2022	completing ACCESS testing “It’s the middle of the year, what do I do now?”
Session 6	Thursday, April 7, 2022	wrapping up the school year planning for next year
Session 7	Thursday, June 2, 2022	celebrating the accomplishments of the year and all that you have learned addressing any questions sharing what’s next